There’s more to employee engagement than free lunches, happy hours, and take-your-dog-to-work day. The fact is, engagement can be tough and it requires leaders to commit to making it a priority. So why is employee engagement important? Because it’s also the best way to limit unwanted turnover, boost productivity, and increase your referral rate.
Of the 66,000 organizations Energage has researched, we know Top Workplaces have more than double the rate of engaged employees (58 percent) compared to average organizations (31 percent). And at the top 10 percent of Top Workplaces, this number jumps to an incredible 86 percent. Even aspiring Top Workplaces – those who participate but do not win – exceed the U.S. average employee engagement level at 46 percent.
There are many different definitions of employee engagement. At Energage, we choose to define it as “individual passion working toward shared success.”
Successful employee engagement strategies rely heavily on honest, anonymous employee feedback. First, it answers the ever-present need for employees to feel heard and safe. Second, it provides organizations with the insights they need to make people-informed decisions.
The Energage Workplace Survey, the same engagement survey used to qualify Top Workplaces, assesses several factors, including 15 research-based Culture Drivers and these three statements that measure employee engagement:
Employees who respond positively to all three of these statements have passion, energy, and commitment. They’re engaged, and they’ll go above and beyond for great places to work like your organization. Top Workplaces have clearly cracked the code.
In addition to determining the nation’s Top Workplaces, Workplace Survey is an employee engagement survey that enables organizations to leverage data insights while earning credible, authentic employer recognition awards.
Successful employee engagement programs are informed by qualitative, objective data rather than instinct. These insights help organizations identify opportunities for improvement, build on strengths, and pivot when needed
Top Workplaces participants have a competitive edge because they can compare their results to similar companies based on size, industry, and role. They use these benchmarks to compare themselves to top-performing organizations over time.
If you’re wondering how to improve employee engagement, becoming an aspiring Top Workplace is an excellent start. Organizations that participate in successful employee engagement programs like Top Workplaces discover a wealth of benefits that extend beyond the clear positives of improving company culture, including:
Building a healthy company culture that supports employee engagement takes work and perseverance, but the rewards are well worth the effort. You can also look to Energage for guidance and support. Our experts can help you to:
“Top Workplaces is the only program that allows you to issue just one survey to be considered for employer recognition and also identify any possible organizational bumps in the road so you can proactively address them before they negatively impact employees, customers, and ultimately your bottom line.” Megan Koontz, Director of HR at Fusion Alliance
“The employee engagement survey has been an extremely helpful tool for us. We can have observations, but the survey bears them out. The numbers don’t lie.” Jeanne Lynch, Vice President of Human Resources, Griffis Residential
A bad reputation costs companies at least 10 percent more per hire.
Source: Harvard Business Review
“The typical cost of turnover for 9 in 10 U.S. workers is 20 percent of their annual salary.”
Source: Center for American Progress